Kopardi rape and murder case: All accused sentenced to death

Ahmednagar District and Sessions court has awarded death sentence to all convicted in Kopardi rape and murder case which triggered massive protests in Maharashtra.

Family members and relatives of the accused cry after court on Saturday found the three men (inset) guilty in alleged rape and murder of the 15-year-old girl at Kopardi village, in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. PTI Photo

Jitendra Babulal Shinde, Santosh Gorakh Bhawal and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume Maharashtra were sentenced to death for raping and murdering a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village in 2016.

The judge had on November 18 convicted the three men on charges of rape, murder and criminal conspiracy.

The incident had triggered widespread protests from the Maratha community with marches being held across the state.

The victim, who belonged to the Maratha community, was found murdered after being raped on July 13 at Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district. The accused had inflicted injuries all over her body and broken her limbs before throttling her, police said.

On October 7, Ahmednagar police had filed the charge sheet running into over 350 pages before the court in which the trio was charged under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.